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| Pianoforte-makers
in England
Robert COCKS & Co
in
London
|
1847
They have the advantage of being firmly and compactly
made, of the best seasoned materials, and of keeping well in tune for an
unusual length of time." — Musical World, Dec. 11, 1845. "It is our candid
opinion that for workmanship and quality throughout, together with the
extreme reasonableness of the prices, these pianofortes cannot be
surpassed."—Dramatic and Musical Review, Jan., 24, 1846.
N.B. A list of
prices and other particulars to be had gratis, postage free. Seven of
Erard's harps, and a hundred pianos for sale or hire, on very moderate
terms, including several grand squares by Messrs. Collard and Collard, and
Messrs Broadwood. Messrs. COOKS & Co., 6, Burlington Street, London."
The Musical World, Volume 22, 1847, p. 354
A pamphlet gratis, containing rules for the preservation of Pianofortes. Descriptive price-lists gratis and postage free. Also an extensive assortment of other Musical Instruments. New Burlington-street, London." Official descriptive and illustrated catalogue of the Great exhibition 1851, p. 29
"These pianofortes are remarkable for the beauty and equality of their tone, and the facility of their touch, and their extremely elegant exterior." — Musical World. "It is our candid opinion that, for workmanship and quality throughout, together with the extreme reasonableness of the price, these pianofortes cannot bo surpassed. We can conscientiously recommend them to public attention and patronage." — Dramatic and Musical Review. List of prices and drawings gratis and postage free. London: Robert Cocks and Co., New Burlington Street, Pianoforte Manufacturer and Publishers to the Queen." ALLEN'S INDIAN MAIL, 1854, p. 279
No. 1. Mahogany French-front Semi-Cottage or Piccolo, with carved cheeks, ornaments, and mouldings, improved grand desk, metallic plate, height 3 feet 8, width 4 feet 4, French polished. 6 s. 6; octaves - 33 12 No. 2. Rosewood French-front Semi-Cottage or Piccolo, with back, hollow carved cheeks, ornaments, and mouldings, improved grand desk, and elegant trussed legs, metallic plate, height 3 feet 8, width 4 feet 4, French polished, 6¾ octaves - 47 10. The same class of Instrument, in Zebra wood, or Walnut-tree, price. - 52 10 No. 3. Rosewood Semi-Cottage or Piccolo, ogee fall, plain silk front, metallic plate, 6¾ octaves - 31 10 No. 4. Mahogany Semi-Cottage or Piccolo, square fall, plain silk front, metallic plate, 6¾ octaves - 23 10 No. 5. Rosewood Semi-Cottage or Piccolo, round fall, plain silk front, metallic plate, 6¾ octaves 27 0. “We lately experienced much pleasure in trying some of the Pianofortes manufactured by the house of ROBERT COCKS and CO. NEW BURLINGTON STREET, LONDON. They are chiefly cottages and piccolos. These pianos are remarkable for the beauty and equality of their tone, the facility of their touch, and their extremely elegant exterior. They have, moreover, an appearance of durability which is wholly out of the question in the cheap markets, where the public are persuaded into purchasing a pretty-looking instrument at a low rate, which, at the expiration of six months, is found to be worthless. Not that the instruments of Messrs. R. Cocks and Co. are dear — on the contrary, they are as cheap as the valueless instruments just mentioned, but they have the advantage of being firmly and compactly made of the best (and the best seasoned) materials, and of keeping well in tune for an unusual length of time.”— Wide Musical World. It is our candid opinion that, for workmanship and quality throughout, together with the extreme reasonableness of the prices, these Pianofortes cannot be surpassed. We can conscientiously recommend them to public attention and patronage. — DRAMATIC AND Musical Review. Pianofortes Let on Hire by the Month, Quarter, or Year, at 15s. per Month and upwards. May be had, on application, gratis and postage free, a List of second-hand Pianofortes, and a List of Violins and other Instruments. Robert Cocks and Co. New Burlington Street, London." The Organ, its history and construction: a comprehensive treatise on the ..., Edw. J. Hopkins, 1855, p. 624
The NURSERY or SCHOOL ROOM Piano, in light hard chesnut wood, very strongly constructed, silk front, 6 ½ oct. — £18. The UNIVERSAL Piano, in Walnut or Rosewood, swan-neck front, full fret, 6 7/8 oct, warranted. — £25. The Walnutwood Truss Drawing Room Semi Cottage Piano, full frets, 6 7/8 oct., registered black keys, warranted — £35. The ROSEWOOD Truss Drawing Room Semi Cottage Piano, swan-neck front, veneered moulded door and full frets, 6 7/8 oct., warranted—£42. Robert Cocks & Co BOUDOIR Rosewood Grand Piano, with Brass Bridge, Three Unisons, Carved Legs. Compass, 7 Oct., A to A. 6 ft. 8 in. long; 4 ft 6 In. wide, warranted — £68 5s.
N.B. — Price Lists with drawings, gratis and post free.
THE widely known and eminent music-publishing house which forms the subject of this brief review dates its history from the year 1823, when it was founded by the late Mr. Robert Cocks. The present sole principal is the eldest grandson of the founder (who died as recently as the year 1887), and bears the same well-known name. For many years this firm have worthily maintained a position among the recognised leaders of the music-publishing trade in England, and the numerous important works with which their name is associated have a world-wide acceptance in professional and amateur circles alike. Few firms in the trade issue such a mass of printed matter for the information of their customers, and it is in glancing over these interesting lists and catalogues that one becomes aware of the remarkable comprehensiveness of the business carried on by Messrs. Robert Cocks & Co. The house has no fewer than twenty-one catalogues in print, embracing nearly twenty thousand works of various kinds, and some useful information will doubtless be derived from the following classified summary of these carefully compiled and well-got-up publications : — Catalogue No. 1 consists of pianoforte solos, duets, and trios, by the best composers, past and present. No. 2 deals with standard musical pieces, extracted from the piano and vocal catalogues. No. 3 is a selected list of popular and new vocal and instrumental music. No. 4 (so well known as the “Green Catalogue”) gives particulars of a wide range of pianoforte and vocal music which will be found very useful for schools and teachers. No. 5 is an abstract list of the same. No. 6 is a comprehensive catalogue of classical and standard musical works which the firm are offering at greatly reduced and popular prices. In No. 7 we have a capital catalogue of good vocal music, made up of songs, vocal duets, trios, quartets, cantatas, and oratorios, by the best composers of past and present times. No. 8 illustrates another phase of the firm’s trade, being an illustrated price list of Maelzel’s indispensable metronomes and Kalkbrenner’s hand guides for the pianoforte. The revival of part singing that seems just now to be commencing lends a special interest to catalogue No. 9, in which we find an exhaustive list of excellent part music, suitable for all kinds of choirs, glee-clubs, &c. No. 10 is Messrs. Cocks & Co.’s unsurpassed list of educational, theoretical, elementary, and standard musical works, which should be in the hands of all teachers and students of the art. No. 11 forms a very complete catalogue of music for the flute, cornet-a-pistons, orchestra, and brass band, together with books of instruction in the same connection. This catalogue will be an acquisition to directors of quadrille bands, amateur orchestral societies and brass bands. Violin, viola, and violoncello music are treated in catalogue No. 12, which has copious thematic indices. No. 13 specifies Messrs. Robert Cocks & Co.’s exhaustive list of organ, church and cathedral music, including oratorios, services, and masses, and will prove a valuable companion for organists and choir-masters. No. 14 supplies a real want by giving a capital list of good harmonium music. The requirements of the accordion, concertina, guitar, and harp are provided for in catalogue No. 15; and No. 16 introduces us to a variety of easy pianoforte music suitable to follow or be used with the instruction book. In the next three catalogues we make acquaintance with Messrs. Robert Cocks & Co.’s resources as pianoforte manufacturers (catalogue No. 18); purveyors of various useful articles, such as music folios, rolls, music paper, violin and guitar strings, &c. (catalogue No. 17), and dealers in and agents for the best types of American organs and harmoniums (see catalogue No. 19). A most interesting list of scarce and valuable works is supplied in catalogue No. 20; and the last of the long array, No. 21, furnishes lists of excellent old violins, of which the firm have always a large stock on hand. From the above any catalogues may be selected, and on applying for them they will be forwarded by Messrs. Cocks & Co., gratis and post-free. Educational works, connected with the study of music as an art and as a science, continue as in the past to be a speciality of this noted house, and we may briefly refer to a few of the principal publications issued by Messrs. Cocks in this line. “Hamilton’s Tutor” is one of them (now in its 1,852nd edition), and has become a household word in this country and the Colonies. The invaluable technique studies and other works by Czerny were also introduced to the British public by this firm, and are still in great demand. Students of the pianoforte will hail with pleasure the new “Method” for that instrument by Mr. Walter Macfarren — a concise, yet comprehensive work in which the talented Royal Academy professor has combined all the advantages of the most popular standard works hitherto published, with some valuable new features that render the work one of the greatest practical utility for beginners and advanced students alike. Messrs. Robert Cocks & Co. are also publishers of John Bishop’s excellent translation of Ludwig Spohr’s great “Violin School,” a work of incomparable excellence in its particular sphere. This finely produced translated version has the advantage of having been directly commended by its author, the distinguished composer of the “Last Judgment,” who wrote the following letter concerning it:- “I have carefully looked over the English Edition of my ‘Violin School,’ published by Messrs. Cocks & Co., and have no hesitation in recommending it as a faithful translation of the original work. — Louis SPOHR.” Otto Peiniger’s “Violin Method” is another admirable book of instruction, smaller in compass and cheaper in price than Spohr’s monumental work, but thoroughly useful and compiled with great care and the judgment of an experienced teacher. Dr .Turpin’s “Organ Method,” and the method of “Voice Production” by Edwin Holland, the well-known and successful Royal Academy Professor of Voice Production, are also prominent works, and new works and compositions by all the leading writers of the day are being, constantly embodied in Messrs. Cocks’ comprehensive catalogues. Their theoretical list contains the standard works of Albrechtsberger on harmony, and Cherubini on counterpoint and fugue, Dr. Adolph Bernhard Marx on “The Music of the Nineteenth Century and its Culture,” as well as “The Universal School of Music,” and a comprehensive selection from Sebastian Bach’s compositions for the pianoforte by the same distinguished author, besides many other excellent books by accepted writers on musical theory; and this firm are also the publishers of Dr. Rimbault’s “History of the Pianoforte,” and of Drs. Hopkins and Rimbault’s great work, “The History and Construction of the Organ” — the largest, most exhaustive and most valuable treatise ever issued in any language concerning the “king of instruments.” Did space permit we might extend these remarks almost indefinitely, for we have as yet barely touched the fringe of the vast subject presented by Messrs. Robert Cocks & Co.’s long-continued enterprise as publishers of standard musical works. Enough has, perhaps, been said to indicate the wide range and scope of the firm’s operations, and more minute details can easily be obtained from the catalogues above enumerated. No London firm can show a larger or more valuable list of copyright works, and in the department of composition these have recently been considerably added to by Messrs. Cocks’ important purchases. Another feature of the instrument department is the Newman Bros.’ organs (of which Messrs. Cocks & Co. are the sole importers), celebrated for their pipe-like quality of tone, exquisite voicing, and remarkable crescendo effects. As pianoforte manufacturers Messrs. Robert Cocks & Co. have long done an important business and maintained a high reputation for the tone, touch, workmanship, and design of their excellent instruments. This firm’s leading models may be depended upon to give every artistic and practical satisfaction at reasonably moderate prices, while the “Winkelmann” pianofortes, of which Messrs. Robert Cocks & Co. are the sole importers, will bear comparison with the finest of German or American makes, than which on the other hand they are considerably cheaper. In the department of modern music, too, Messrs. Cocks & Co. have been particularly active during the last twelve months, adding to the list of their small army of composers such well-known and convincing names as Misses Maude Valerie White and Frances Allitsen, and Messrs. David Popper, Emile Sauret, Tivadar Nachez, Angelo Mascheroni, Hamish MacCunn, Lawrence Kellie, Eugene Oudin, Leo Stern, Otto Peiniger, &c., &c. The premises at 6, New Burlington Street, are large and commodious, and have a special interest from the fact that they were formerly the town mansion of the Dowager Duchess of Cork. The chief music warehouse on the ground floor is fully two hundred feet long by twenty feet wide, with an arched roof, and lighted by electricity. In all probability this noble saloon was used as a picture gallery when the Duchess of Cork resided here. The premises in their entirety contain one of the largest stocks of music, instruments, and musical accessories in Loudon. Messrs. Robert Cocks & Co. control a trade which extends not only throughout the whole of the United Kingdom, but also to all the Colonies; and since the copyright has been extended by America to English works the firm are sending large quantities of their publications to the United States. The entire business is administered with conspicuous ability, tact, and prudence by Mr. Robert Macfarlane Cocks, the esteemed principal, who has been connected with the firm since 1868, and in that gentleman’s policy there is no lack of the judicious enterprise which has from the first been a creditable characteristic of this house. It is unquestionably a great privilege to aid, as Messrs. Cocks & Co. have so largely done, in making the creations of musical genius and talent known to a world-wide circle of lovers of the most perfect of all the arts, and he who avails himself of that privilege conscientiously and in a proper spirit may play a high, part in that mental and spiritual culture which it is the mission of music to instil. Working earnestly for the advancement of the art in all its branches, Messrs. Robert Cocks & Co. have not fallen short of what is expected of a great music-publishing house at the present day, and the effects of their well-directed efforts will live to do credit to the worthy motives and artistic; promptings that have guided them in all the undertakings of their comprehensive business." Ilustrated London and its representatives of Commerce, 1893 (messybeast.com)
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Pianoforte No. 1
- Price £47 10s. Rosewood Case, very elegant Fret Front, with New Desk,
trussed Lags, and Metal Plate. Compass, 6 7/8 Oct., C. to A. Size - Height,
4 ft. 3 in.; Width, 4 ft. 5 in. A Rosewood Music stool to match the above -
Price 30s.,
